

Comment Info: =================

General Comment:Mr. Zeller:

I am writing as an individual consumer to request an extension of the comment period for the Food and Drug Administration's ("FDA") Proposed Rule Deeming Tobacco Products to be Subject to the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, as amended by the Family Smoking and Prevention and Tobacco Control Act (the "Proposed Rule") published at 79 Fed. Reg. 23,142 and Federal Register No. 2014-09491. On behalf of myself, I am requesting that the comment period for the Proposed Rule be extended by the FDA for an additional 105 days, from its current 75-day period, to 180 days.
The Proposed Rule raises a number of significant issues and questions that are important and relevant to me, as a consumer of products that are proposed for regulation under the Proposed Rule. The Proposed Rule asks about a hundred different questions I might want to respond to. I want to provide my thoughts and comments on many of these issues, but my time to devote to researching and providing thoughtful comments on these important questions is limited. I have already spent many hours researching and dissecting these issues, but they take time. I know that the FDA took many years to even come up with the Proposed Rule, so I do not think it is at all unreasonable to allow the public a mere six months to comment on it. This is our only opportunity, as consumers, to provide our feedback. 
I feel very strongly about e-cigarettes as an alternative to combustible cigarettes. Quite simply, I firmly believe that they saved my life. I wish to provide you with my personal story, as well as science- and evidence-based responses to your questions so that you can take my comment into account. I realize that the FDA has the authority under 21 CFR 10.40 to extend this time frame and that the FDA has exercised this authority on numerous occasions in the past. I would therefore ask that you do so here, so that all stakeholders have the opportunity to provide their comments on this proposed regulation.
Cancer caused by smoking has killed 4 members of my family, including my Grandfather, who was a Marine Veteran. I smoked 2 packs of cigarettes a day for 12 years. The day I started vaping was the last day I bought cigarettes. I tried everything previously, the gum, the patch, Chantix, I even tried hypnotism once. All of these methods are inadequate, because they do not replace smoking, they just try to cover up the effects of quitting. I feel that the proposed regulation is a death sentence not only for me, but for my mother, whom I was also able to convert over to vaping. I feel that expensive regulation will only give this company to big tobacco, the company responsible for addicting millions of Americans in the first place, I do not find the logic in saying that vaping is a gateway to smoking simply because as an ex smoker who has been vaping for a year, cigarettes now smell disgusting. The last thing I want after vaping is a cigarette, without flavors and variety I would never have been able to quit. Over regulation will only turn law abiding citizens into criminals for seeking to better their lives.

I appreciate your consideration of my request and am happy to discuss this issue with you further.

